Penn State hires former Boston College manager Mike Gambino as new baseball coach
Penn State was one of the last schools to fill its open vacancy in college baseball this year. However, that changed on Monday, as Athletic Director Patrick Kraft announced the hiring of former Boston College manager Mike Gambino.
“I am thrilled to welcome Mike and his family to Happy Valley as our new baseball coach,” Kraft said in a statement. “We worked with Mike at Boston College and know how he grows a program to find success on a national stage. Mike guided BC to the best season in program history this past season, which is impressive in a conference with historical baseball success like the ACC.
“Mike is a tremendous teacher and has a track record for developing players’ skills to prepare them for the next level. He has an impressive 33 Major League Draft picks in his first 12 years as a head coach. We are excited to have Mike, Jill, and their children, Sonny and Callahan, as part of our State College community.”
Link: What did we learn about Penn State football in June?
Penn State’s hiring of Gambino comes just two weeks after he signed a five-year extension at Boston College. According to the New England Baseball Journal, he lost both of his paid assistants to higher-paying jobs this offseason.
Nonetheless, Gambino is coming off his best regular season at Boston College, as the Eagles went 37-20 overall in 2023, including a 16-14 record in the ACC. They made the NCAA Regionals before losing to Alabama in the final game.
“My wife, kids and I are honored and humbled to be a part of the Penn State Baseball program, athletics department, University and the State College community,” said Gambino. “I want to thank Athletics Director Pat Kraft, [Deputy AD] Vinnie James and President [Neeli] Bendapudi for giving me this opportunity. I couldn’t be more excited to get to work with these young men and develop this program into a national contender and challenge to make the College World Series. We will work tirelessly each and every day to make our alumni, former players and everyone involved in the program proud.”
Gambino also led Boston College to the NCAA tournament in 2016 where they advanced to the Super Regionals. The Garrison, N.Y. native also played college baseball at Boston College from 1997-2000. He played two seasons of minor league baseball within the Boston Red Sox organization in 2000 and 2001 before being hired as a special assistant with the Red Sox. He then coached the Lowell Spinners in the New York-Penn League before transitioning to a scouting role.
Gambino won 291 games in 13 seasons at Boston College. He’s had 33 players drafted, including three first-round selections. The Eagles also played in arguably the toughest division in college baseball outside of the SEC.
